Ventilation door



H. C. BLANKENSHIP Fail) 4, 1958 VENTILATION DOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 9, 1955 liiliiiiiifi Howard 0. Blankenship INVENITOR.

9 BY (pm/9H MM 1958 H. c. BLANKENSHIP 2,822fl41 v VENTILATION DOOR 7 Filed May 9, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 II I? Howard C. Blankenship INVENTOR.

.BY @Mm United States Patent VENTILATION DOOR Howard C. Blankenship, Blytheville, Ark.

Application May 9, 1955, Serial No. 506,721

9 Claims. (Cl. 160-92) This invention comprises novel and useful improvements in a ventilation door and more specifically pertains to a ventilating assembly adapted for installation in openings in walls and the like and having a screen to ventilate the area contiguous to the opening together with an imperforate door for closing the opening controlled by the device in cold or inclement weather.

In certain climates, and particularly in southern or tropical climates, it is desirable and in fact it is often a requirement of local regulations, that periodic inspection shall be made of the wooden portions of the floor sills of building constructions and the like, and therefore access must be had to the areas beneath and adjacent to I such wooden portions through the ventilating openings for the same.

Therefore, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a ventilating assembly which may be readily applied to any conventional ventilating opening Walls or foundations of buildings and the like, and which may be selectively utilized to permit ventilation of the same, to obtain access to the space through the ventilating opening, and to close the ventilating opening to prevent the ingress of cold air, rain or the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ventilating device in conformity with the preceding object and in which there is provided an assembly having a ventilating screen removably positioned therein and an imperforate door having improved means for retaining sections of the door in closed position.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the ventilating door assembly, from the front or outer side of the assembly;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the door assembly taken from the rear or inward side of the assembly;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the door assembly; and,

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are sectional views taken substantially upon the planes indicated by the section lines 4-4, 55 and 6-6 of Figure 3, being taken upon an enlarged scale.

The ventilating door assembly forming the subject of this invention and illustrated in the drawings is specifically adapted for use in narrow openingssuch as foundations and the like for ventilating the space confined by the foundation walls and obtaining access thereto. The door assembly comprises a door frame 10 which is preferably of sheet metal or the like in the interest of lightweight, inexpensiveness, durability and resistance to termites and the like. The casing 10 has the material of its front, and rear walls 12 and 14 turned inwardly as at 16 and 18 to provide openings through the door casing. The inturned portion 16 provides a recess adapted to receive a screen or other ventilating grating 20 which may be secured in any desired manner. As will be apparent from the detailed view of Figure 5, the wall 12 has a perpendicularly disposed shoulder 22 which in conjunction With the inturned portion 16 provides a recess receiving the screen or grating 20 which may have a snug friction fit or may be secured therein in any desired manner. Preferably the screen or grating 20 is disposed on the forward face or the outer face of the ventilating door assembly.

An imperforate door closure is provided for the real or inner face of the door casing. For this purpose there are provided two door sections 24 and 26 which are provided with finger holes 28 by means of which the same may be opened, these sections being hinged for movement about vertical axes at the outer ends and having their inner ends overlapping each other as shown in Figure 2.

In order to mount these door sections there are provided sets of upper and lower brackets 30 and 32 which are secured by suitable fasteners to the top and bottom horizontal panels of the door casing, and which overhang the rear face and rear Wall 14 of the door casing. The door sections may conveniently comprise sheet metal members which at their outer ends are provided with inturned flanges 34 which are folded upon the material of the door sections to provide cylindrical beads or casings 36 which embrace the vertical rods 38 which extend between and are secured to the brackets 30 and 32. The rods 38 thus constitute vertical hinges upon which the door sections may be swung horizontally. it should however be noted that the door sections are of a vertical height which is less than the length of the rods 38 so that a limited amount of vertical sliding movement is possible for the door sections upon these rods. Use is made of this provision to provide an improved means for retaining the door sections in their closed position.

For this purpose, as shown best in Figures 2 and 3, the bottom portion of the door casing is provided with an upturned flange 40 across the midportion of the same, which flange serves to overlap the closed door sections when they are in their lowermost position upon their vertical rods 38 and thus retain the door sections in closed position.

It is to be understood that the dimensions and proportions of the associated parts are such that when the door sections are raised upon their vertical rods 33, their lower edges will be disposed above the top of the locking flange 40 whereby the door sections may be swung open about their hinges. However, when the door sections are swung to their closed position, and they are then slid downwardly upon the rods 38, their lower edges will be retained in overlapping closed position by the flange 40. At this time, the upper edges of the door sections will lie above the upper portion of the horizontal opening 18, as shown in Figure 4 to thereby completely seal or close the door opening.

If desired, one of the rods 33 may be disposed at a slightly greater distance from the rear wall 14 than the other rod in order that the door section hinged thereon may overlap the other section.

It will thus be apparent that there has been provided a door assembly of lightweight construction, and which consists of a ventilating grating and a hinged imperforate door, whereby the imperforate door may be opened to permit free ventilation of the space adjacent the door but exclude the passage of insects, animals or the like therethrough; and wherein the imperforate door may be closed to thus exclude the entry of rain or the like.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A ventilating .door' assembly for building foundations and the like comprising aidoor casing consisting-of a rectangular frame having top, bottom and vertical walls with front and rear openings therein, a'screen removablyvsecured in the front opening, an .impe'rforatc door operativcly associated with the rear opening, said 'door com risin a air of sections hingedabout a vertical axis at the remote vertical edges of said sections upon vertical hinges and overlapping at their adjacent vertical edges when moved into closed position, a locking flange carried by the bottom wall of said casing and projecting upwardly above the latter and disposed at the overlapping edges of the sections attheir lowerportions, said sections being vertically movable upon their vertical hinges to selectively lift the lower edges of the sections above said locking flange for opening and closing of the door and to lower the lower edges of the sections below thelocking fiange to retain the door in closed position.

2.The combination of claim 1 wherein said casing has top and bottom walls, brackets mounted at each end thereof and overhanging the rear of the casing, rods mounted in the overhanging portion of the brackets of the top. and bottom walls and constituting said vertical hinges.

3.'The combination of 'claiml wherein said casing has top and bottom. walls, brackets mounted at each end ,thereof and overhanging the rear of the casing, rods mounted in the overhanging portion of the brackets of the top and bottom walls and constituting said vertical hinges, said sections having cylindrical beads at their remote vertical edges embracing said rods.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said front wall has a recessed portion to receive said screen with its outer surface flush with that of the front wall.

5.The combination of claim 1 wherein said rear wall has the upper edge of its. opening disposed below the upper edge of said door sections in both the lifted and lowered positions of the latter on their vertical hinges.

6. In a ventilating door assembly for building foundations and the like of the type comprising a door casing having vertical walls with .front and rear openings therein with a screen removably secured in the front opening and an imperforate door operatively associated with the rear opening including a pair of sections hinged at their remote vertical edges upon vertical hinges; the improvement wherein said sections-overlap at their adjacent vertical edges when: moved into'closed position, a locking flange carried by said casing and disposed at the overlapping'edges'of the sections-at their lower'portion, said sectionshbeing vertically movable upon their vertical hinges to selectively lift the lower edges of the sections above said locking flangefor opening and closing of the door and to lower the lower edges of the sections below the locking flange to retain the door in closed position.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said casing has top and bottom walls, bracketsmounted .on ,the top andbottomwalls at each .end thereof and, overhanging therearof thehcasing, rods :mountedin the overhanging ,portion of the brackets. of the top and bottom walls and constituting said vertical hinges.

8. Thecombination of claim 6 wherein said casing has top and bottom walls, brackets mounted on:the topand bottom walls atpeach end thereof and overhanging the rear of the casing, rods mounted in theoverhanging portion of the brackets of the top and bottom wallstand constituting said vertical hinges, said sections having cylindrical beads at'their remote vertical edges embracing said rods.

9. .Thecombination ofv claim 1 wherein said rear wall has the upper edge of its opening disposed below the upper edge-of. said door sections in both the lifted andlowered positions of the latter on their vertical hinges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 284,117 Byar Aug. 28, 1883 582,029 Tremmel -May-4,- 1897 1,062,971 Hausmann May' 27, 1913 1,552,718 McIntyre Sept. 8, 1925 2,104,430 MacEvoy Jan. 4, 1938 2,381,147 Weedon Aug. 7, 1945 

